Thursday, July 30, 2015

In this modern
age only
old people and unemployed
ladies have got time to pray ,But prayer with faith
works wonders in the life of persons. It is essential for all other people
to find time to pray everyday and
also chant such prayers and chant only the right
stotras every day . As one who knows astrology, I know that praying
the planet associated with the
day and God associated with planet would be greatly beneficial . So I have selected for each
day , prayers starting with “Shuklambaradaram
…” followed by prayers addressed to the planet of the day and God
associated with the planet ending with a singing of the Mangalam(Song of auspiciousness).The maximum
number of Slokas , one has to
recite a day is about 7
and their chanting can be completed in five minutes. I feel recitation of the
prayers of this type for all the days
of the week would be greatly beneficial.
I request each of you can make a collection of their own collection similar to this and spend
five minutes of their time
to pray and get
blessed by God for
the entire day.

Once
again I want to tell that this is a sample selection by me and each of you who do not have much time to pray , may make
their own collection and use it
for prayer.

1.Sunday

Surya is
the Vedic God associated with
Sunday. He was the son of Sage Kashyapa and perhaps the first great

post-Vedic prayer on any God was about him and occurs in Valmiki’s
Ramayana which is the Adhi Grantha.So the prayer on the Sunday
would be to the Sun God himself.

The planet
associated with Monday is moon and God associated with moon is Lord Shiva . Lord Moon came
out of
ocean of milk when it was churned
for getting nectar .He
married all the 27
stars who were daughters of
Daksha .

1. Shuklam Baradaram Vishnum, Sasi Varnam Chatur Bhujam,

Prasanna Vadanan Dyayet, Sarva Vignoba
Sandaye

Dressed in white you are,

Oh, all pervading one,

And glowing with the colour of moon.

With four arms, you are, the all knowing one

I meditate on your ever-smiling face,

And pray, “ Remove all obstacles on my way”.

2.Samam , chathurbhujam vande, keyura makutojjwalam,

Vasudevasya nayanam, Shankarasya cha
bhooshanam.

I salute the four armed Moon god who is calm,

Who shines in a gem studded great crown,

Who is the eye of Lord Vishnu,

And the ornament of Lord Shiva.

3,Sri Neelakanda girijesa suresa shambo,

Sri Parvatheesa karunamaya deena bandho,

Kailasa nadha bhuvanesa Jagan nivasa,

Sri Viswanadha thava Bhasura
Suprabatham.

Oh God with blue neck, oh Lord of Parvathi, Oh Lord of
Devas,

Oh consort of Parvathi, Oh storehouse of mercy, Oh friend
of the oppressed,

The God
associated with Tuesday is planet Mars , also called as Kuja , Chevvai or Mangal. The God associated is
Lord Subrahmanya . He is the son of Goddess earth. The planet
Rahu is also associated with Tuesday. Rahu is the head of the son of Simhika , who was
cut in to two pieces by Lord
Vishnu.The following is the prayers for Tuesday.

1. Shuklam Baradaram Vishnum, Sasi Varnam Chatur Bhujam,

Prasanna Vadanan Dyayet, Sarva Vignoba
Sandaye

Dressed in white you are,

Oh, all pervading one,

And glowing with the colour of moon.

With four arms, you are, the all knowing one

I meditate on your ever-smiling face,

And pray, “ Remove all obstacles on my way”.

2.Angaraka shakthidaro lohithango darasutha,

Kumaro mangalo bhoumo maha kayo dana
pradha.

He who is like an ember, who holds a shakthi,

He who has red limbs, He who is the son of earth,

He who is young, he who does good,

He who has a gross body, He who gives wealth,

3.Rahur dhanavamanthri cha simhika chitha nandana,

Ardha kaya, sada krodhi, chandradhithya
vimardhana.

Rahu, Minister of Rakshasa, one who makes Simhika
happy,

Half bodied one, one who is always angry,

Tormentor who troubles Sun and Moon.

4,Omkara Nagarastham Tham Nigamandha vaneshwaram,

Nithyamekam Shivam santham vande guham
umasutham

Salutations to Guha the son of Uma,

Who lives in the sound Om,

Who owns the forest of Vedantha,

Who is forever stable,

Who is peaceful

And who is peace himself.

5.Shadananam, chandana lepithangam,

Mahorasam, divya mayoora vahanam,

Rudrasya soonum, sura loka nadam,

Brahmanya devam, saranam prapadye.

I seek refuge with the god, who is Brahman,

Who has six faces,

Who applies sandal paste,

All over his body.

Who is the great essence,

Who rides on a peacock,

Who is the son of Lord Shiva,

And who is the lord of the heaven.

6.Omkararoopa. Saranasraya , sarva soono,

Singara vela, sakaleswara , deenabhandho,

Santhapa nasana, Sanathana , shakthi hastha,

Sri Karthikeya , mama dehi karavalambam.

Please give me a helping hand , Oh Lord Karthikeya,

Who is the form of Om , Who offers protection to the
seekers,

Who is the son of Lord Shiva, Who is pretty and holds the
spear,

Who is God for all, Who is the friend of all the
oppressed,

Who destroys sorrow , Who is perennial and who holds the
Shakthi

7.BHathabheeshta pradhayasthu
, bhava Roga vinasine ,

Bhavani priya puthraya , Ranadheeraya mangalam

Auspeciousness to him who fulfills the wishes of his
devotees,

Who cures the
disease of Samsara,

Who is the son of Goddess Bhavani and a great hero in war.

3.Wednesday

The planet
associated with Wednesday is the Planet Budha , who is the son of Mon God and
Tara the wife of Lord Guru
and the God associated is Lord Vishnu
in his several forms.

I always bow before that Meenakshi, who is the treasure
house of mercy,

Who shines like billions of rising suns,

Who wears a shining crown,

Who has reddish lips like the Bimba fruits,

Who has shining rows of sparkling teeth,

Who decorates herself with reddish silk,

Whose feet is worshipped by Vishnu, Brahma and Indra,

Who is the consort Of Lord Shiva,

And who is the personification of sacred truth.

6.Pratha smarami Lalitha vadanaravindam,

Bimbadaram pradhula maukthika shobhi nasam,

Aakarna deerga nayanam mani kundaladyam,

Mandasmitham mruga madojjwala phala
desam.

I meditate in the morning,

On the lotus face of Lalitha,

Who has deep red lips,

Who has nose shining like a pearl,

Who has very long eyes which extend to the ears,

Who has ear drops made of very precious gems,

Who has a very sober pleasant smile,

And who has a very pretty shining forehead.

8.Kathyayaini , Mahamaye,

Gadga bana dhaurdhare,

Gadga dharinee chandi,

Sri Durga Devi namosthuthe.

Salutations to goddess Durga,

Who is Karthyayaini ,

Who is the greatest enchantress,

Who carries with her sword, arrow and bow,

And who is Chandi who carries the sword.

7.Saturday

This is the day of the planet Saturn as well as Kethu. Saturn is the son of sun God .Since
he moves slowly due to his one leg made
lame by his brother Yama , he
moves slowly and is in Sanskrit called
Sanaischara .Various problems in life are supposed to be caused by him. The Gods associated with him are Lord Sastha, Lord Vekatesa and Lord Hanuman. Kethu is the body half of the son of the Rakshasi called Simhika. The god associated with him is Lord Ganesa.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Sanathana Dharma better known as Hinduism is one of
the greatest and finest of ancient religions. It preaches that every
individual’s aim should be Moksha which in simple words means merger with the
Ultimate truth called Brahman and reaching a state of no re birth.

Savants and sages of the religion suggest
several methods to attain this enviable state. Of these the simplest is Bhakthi
Yoga or devotion to God, which
ultimately merges you with God. To make this easily possible a pan theistic
concept of God is enunciated by the religion. Here is a method to start
the day with prayers and end it
with prayers, in a very simple manner.

1.Stotras as soon as one wakes up:-

A Hindu is supposed to wake uo very
early in the morning much earlier to sun rise. It is believed that the first
thing you see in the morning determines one’s day.

As soon as one wakes up see he is
supposed to see his palm and recite the following sloka:-

Karagre vasathu Lakshmi, Karamadhye
Saraswathi,

Karamoole sthitha Gowri, Prabhate Kaa Darshanam.

Lakshmi lives in the tip of my palm,

Saraswathi lives in its middle,

And Gowri lives at its base,

So I see my palm in the early morn.

2.Prayer before one gets up from bed and steps on the
earth,

Earth is a Goddess to Hindus. She is one of the wives of
Maha Vishnu one of the trinity of Hinduism. So it is necessary to ask her
pardon before one sets ones foot on her.This is done by the following prayer:-

Samudhra vasane devi, parvatha sthana mandithe,

Vishnu pathni namasthubhyam pada sparsam kshamasva
mae.

Salutations to you consort of Lord Vishnu,

Who is clothed by oceans,

And is adorned prettily by the mountains,

Pardon me mother, for setting my foot on you.

3.While taking bath

Cleanliness is a sin qua non-to every Hindu.He does
purification of the body as well as the mind during his bath. Purificatory bath
is ultimate if it is done in the sacred waters of some great rivers of
India.The following prayers are recited while taking bath:-

Govindethi sada snanam Govindethi sada japam,

Govindethi sada dhyanam , sada Govinda keerthanam.

Meditate on Govinda while taking bath,

Meditate on him in your prayers,

Meditate on him while thinking of God,

And always sing his name.

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswathi,

Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jale asmin sannidhim kuru.

I pray you to enter,

This water meant for my bath,

Oh , holy river Ganga,

Oh, Holy river Yamuna,

Oh , Holy river Godavari,

Oh, Holy river Saraswathi,

Oh , Holy river Narmada,

Oh holy river Sindhu,

And holy river Kaveri.

4.While wearing
sacred ash

Wearing sacred
ash after bath is an important duty of
all followers of Lord Shiva.

OM agnir ithi
basma, jalam ithi basma ,

Sthalam ithi basma
,Vyomithi basma,

Sarvam hava itham
Basma,

Mana yethani
chakshushi Basma

Om sacred ash is
fire , sacred ash is water

Sacred ash is
earth, Sacred ash is the air ,

And all
invocations are sacred ash ,

Mind and eyes are
the sacred ash.

5.Before starting learning or practicing or doing anything

Mother
Saraswathi in the form of Goddess
presiding over knowledge and education.She is the consort of Lord Brahma.

Saraswathi Namasthubhyam, varade Kama roopini,

Vidhyarambham karishyami, sidhir bhavathu me sada.

My salutations to Goddess Saraswathi,

Who can take any form,

Who is the bestower of all boons,

And I start learning now,

With the prayer to her,

To make it very effective.

6,Before eating any food , we pray that all our actions are actions of God.

Thulasi or ocimum plant is venerated by every Hindu and
is invariably grown in the courtyard of every house.After lighting up the lamp
he is supposed to clean up the thulasi plant and water it while reciting the
following prayer:-

Thulasi shree sakhi shubhe , papa haarini punyade,

Namasthe Naradanuthe , Namo Narayana priye.

Oh , Holy Thulasi,

Bosom friend of Lakshmi,

Destroyer of sins,

Bestower of blessings,

Salutations to thee,

Who is praised by sage Narada,

And is the darling of Lord Narayana

8.When you see the
lighted lamp

A lighted lamp
removes darkness and is comparable to god
who removes ignorance .Hindus light
a lamp for every
worship.Here is a prayer to the lighted lamp

Shubham karothi
Kalyanam,

Aarogyam
Dhana Sampadha ,

Sathru budhi
vinasanaya

Deepa jyothir namo nama

I salute the flame of the lamp , for
performance of good deeds,

For health, wealth , riches and for destruction of
enemies

9.Then he prays to the banyan tree which is the holy tree
providing him with shade , happiness and prosperity,

Aswatha vruksha sthuthi(Prayer to the banyan tree)

Moolatho brahma roopaya madhyatho visnu roopine,

Agratha Shiva roopaya , vruksha rajaya the nama.

Salutations to the king of trees,

Whose roots are Lord Brahma,

Whose stem is Lord Vishnu,

And whose crown is Lord Shiva.

10.Before retiring
to sleep

Before you start sleeping you beg the pardon of the God for
all sins committed unknowingly throughout the day.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

(Pradosha worship is done to Shiva in the dusk of The Thrayodashi day (The 13th day of
both the Lunar foretnights, It seems the
devas worshipped Lord Shiva on this day at this time when Lord Shiva swallowed
the Halahala poison spit by the king of
serpents which was used as a rope to
churn the milky ocean and saved them. The
Devas then chanted a prayer and praised him. It seems Lord Shiva who was greatly pleased danced at this time
in between the horns of his Vahana Nandi. It is believed that any one worshipping Lord Shiva during
Pradosham would be specially blessed by
him and
would be granted treasures and
freedom from fear of death.

It is my habit to search for Stotras to translate daily. Today I happened to get this stotram and
the divine coincidence is today is Pradosham. Please read this stotram today evening and on all Pradosham days and get the
blessing of Lord Shiva,)

1.Jaya deva Jagan natha , jaya sankara
saswatha,

Jaya sarava suradhyaksha, Jaya Sarva surachitha

1,Victory to lord of universe , Victory to the permanantly
peaceful one .

Victory to Lord of all devas, Vicory to him who is worshipped by all devas

2.Jaya sarva gunatheetha, Jaya sarva vara pradha,

Jaya nithya
niradhara, jaya viswambara avyayaya

2.Victory to him who is beyong all qualities , victory to
him who gives all boons,

Victory to him who does not depend on anyone else any day
,Victory to the stable God who wears
the universe.

3.Jaya Vishvaika vandhyesa , jaya Nagendra bhooshana,

Jaya Gauri pathe
Shambhi, Jaya Charndradha shekara

3.Victory to him who is saluted all the universe, victory to him who
decorates himself with king of snakes.

Victory to Shambhu
the consort of Gauri, victory to to one who collected half the moon.

4.Jaya kotyarka sangasa, Jaya ananda gunasrya,

Jaya Bhadra Viroopaksha,
Jaya achinthya niranjana

4.Victory to him
who resembles one crore suns, Victory to him who depends on the quality of joy ,

Victory to the
safe one with slanted eyes, Victory to the
spotless one beyond thought.

5.Jaya Nadha Krupa sindho , jaya bhaktharthi banjana ,

Jaya dusthara
samsara sagare tharana
Prabho.

5.Victory to the
lord who is ocean of mercy , Victory to one who puts an end to
sufferings of his devotees,

Victory to the lord
who helps us cross, the difficult ocean
of Samsara.

6.Praseedha may Mahadeva samsarathasya khidhyatha,

SArva paapam kshayam
kruthva Raksha maam Parameshwara.

6 .Shower your grace on me who is distressed due to problems of Samsara ,

Please remove all
the sins committed by me and protect me,
Oh Parameshwara.

7.Maha daridrya magnasya, maha papa hathasyacha ,

Maha soka nivishtasya , Maha rogaturasya cha.

7.I am drowned in
great poverty and affected by great sin,

I am suffering due to great sorrow and has been caught by
great diseases.

8.Runa bhara pareethasya
dahyamanasya karmabhi,

Grahai prapeedya
manasya, praseed mama Shankara.

8.I am filled
with debt and am being burnt in all my actions ,

And I am also being affected by problems caused by planets, Please be kind to me , Oh my Lord Sankara.,

Avaiyar (meaning a very Old mother) was one of the
very great women poets of ancient Tamil Nadu.(In telugu even today mother is
called Avva) Apart from being a great poet, she played a very great role
in the politics of those days, by making the great kings obey her.There are
many references to her being a great Devotee of Lord Subrahmanya. Historians
are of the opinion that there were , more than one lady poet who called herself
as Avaiyar. One such poet existed before the birth of Christ. This poet was a
great story teller and social reformer. The next Avaiyar lived in the
fourteenth centuary. Her well known work is AthiChoodi, which was written for
easy learning by Tamil Children. It is interesting to note that even today,
Athichoodi shows the simple path to live well, for all children.
Vinayagar Agaval is another one of her great works. Agaval means blank poetry
and it is a song addressed to Lord Ganapathy . He is addressed as Vinayagar (he
who removes obstacles) or Pillayar in Tamil. This prayer is an extremely
popular one in Tamil Nadu. It clearly brings out the mastery of Avvaiyar in the
Yoga, thanthric practices and Saivism, possibly derived from the
contribution of Sidhas in Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Nadu Saivism.I have taken
the liberty of understanding this great work based on the English translation
of Mr.Layne little (